


Redemption

by Yas_Snape



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Masturbation, Mention of Hannibal/Will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-01-25 04:51:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1632494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yas_Snape/pseuds/Yas_Snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frederick is in the hospital after he's shot and things go from there. I suck at summaries!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Leap of Faith

It had been 2 days since Frederick Chilton had been shot in the FBI’s interrogation room and no one, except Jack Crawford, had come to visit him, and even those visits were purely professional.

Chilton was a very private and lonely man, but even so he was hoping that at least the one partially responsible for him being here would visit. He just needed to ask him why. Why would Will Graham would do this to him after he had gone through the same thing. With that thought in mind he drifted off to sleep again, only to be plagued with images of a half eaten Gideon and 2 dead agents on his kitchen.

10 more days passed with only his security detail at the door to keep him company, after the 5th day not even Crawford came to visit anymore, so he was obviously surprised to see the man at his door.

“May I come in?” Jack seemed very tired and unsure of himself, which was completely out of character for the man. Chilton eyed him with mild curiosity but secretly happy that he finally had someone to talk to.

“As if you ever asked for permission before, agent Crawford.” He sneered in his direction while turning the tv off. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I have someone with me to see you, some good news too, but I’ll let the person waiting outside tell you all that.” With that Jack bid him goodbye and made way for none other than Will Graham to come in.

Chilton didn’t know what to do. He wanted to kill the man in front of him and cry at the same time. He decided to go with his instinct and let the sarcasm take over. “Ah, mr. Graham, finally came in to see your handiwork?” he said vaguely pointing in the direction of his scarred cheek. Will winced at that, he knew he deserved it. “You can come closer, I’ll turn around for you to see the exit wound too. After all, what’s a bullet to the face after you’ve been disembowelled?” Frederick knew he sounded bitter, but he didn’t care anymore.

Will approached the bed, head down, unable to meet the doctor’s eyes. He finally looked up when he reached the foot of the bed. They locked eyes for a few seconds and then his gaze fell to the scar. “I’m sorry.” He said just above a whisper. “I’m so sorry, Chilton. I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Oh, I guess that makes it alright, doesn’t it? Come on, mr. Graham, say your piece and leave me alone. I don’t need apologies.” Chilton turned his head in the door’s direction and shouted. “Agent Crawford! Can you take me to prison now, please? It’s way past my release date from this dump and the company you bring me just keeps getting worse!”

“Jack’s gone, Chilton.” Will said producing the key to the other man’s handcuff from his pocket. “May I?” He said already reaching. Chilton retreated his arm as much as he could from Will’s touch.

“What’s going on? Why are you trying to free me? Is this supposed to be some kind of trick?”

Will gave him a little sideway smile. “Nothing of the kind, doctor. It’s just… We got him, Chilton. We finally got him. It’s over. Hannibal Lecter is behind bars.”

Frederick looked at Will, really looked, for the first time since the man entered the room. Bags under his eyes, deep lines in the young face and hollow cheeks.

“Are you sure?” His voice trembled, letting Will know how fragile the man in front of him really was. “He’s really not coming back?”

“No. Not if I have any say in the matter. Hannibal Lecter is not hurting anyone else.”

Chilton let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, and that’s when the floodgates opened. He couldn’t stop sobbing and hated himself for that, for showing how weak he was in front of Will Graham. Will calmly opened the handcuffs and, without noticing he was doing it, started gently rubbing the mark on Frederick’s wrist. Chilton instantly stopped crying and looked at the other man startled. “What are you doing, mr. Graham?”

Will retreated his hand as though he had been burned. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Anyway, that brings me to the other matter at hand, dr. Chilton.” He noticed the man eyeing him carefully. “Since your home still is a crime scene and given the fact that you’ve been shot, Jack and the hospital only agreed to let you out under someone’s supervision.” Will held Frederick’s gaze. “That means you’ll be coming home with me.”

“Are you out of your mind, Graham? What, in the name of God, makes you think I’ll agree to stay with the man who turned me over to the FBI?”

“Well, you can stay in the hospital if you want to, doctor. Otherwise, the only way you’re getting out of here is with me.” Will dropped his gaze again and said softly. “Please, let me make this up to you, Chilton.”

Frederick sighed and decided it wasn’t worth the fight. After all, what harm could a few days in Wolf Trap with Graham and a bunch of dogs could do?

“Ok, mr. Graham, let’s get this over with.”


	2. Louder than words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since you asked, let's see how this goes! I will try to post at least one chapter per day. :-D
> 
> Hope you enjoy it.

As both men exited the hospital one thing caught Chilton’s attention. His car was waiting for them at the parking lot, looking as if it was happy to see its owner coming back to him.

“Thought you’d like to see it again. It’s not much, but I thought that something familiar would make you feel a bit less uncomfortable.”

Will shifted from one foot to the other sneaking a glance at the doctor’s face. The surprise was rapidly covered by a sneer as Chilton continued walking towards his car until he reached it, going for the drivers seat. He looked back and saw that Will was still standing where he had left him.

“Are you going to stand there for the rest of the day, Graham? Because I’d like to get as far away from this place as possible.”

Will finally went in the direction of the car stopping beside Frederick. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re not driving.”

“Why not? It’s my car.”

“You just got out of the hospital! Do you want to get us killed? I didn’t escape Hannibal’s clutches just so I could get killed in a car accident.” Frederick huffed and went to the other side of the car while Will dropped his bag on the trunk.

The drive home was silent, mostly because Chilton had fallen asleep after only 15 minutes on the road. Will couldn’t stop thinking if he was doing the right thing, but there wasn’t anything else he could do, and he felt he owed the doctor something, even after everything the man had put him through at his hospital. They were both broken and maybe, just maybe, they could help each other feel whole again, or as close to it as they could get.

When they arrived at Will’s place the person greeting them was a surprise. Alana Bloom was sitting at the porch with her dog, Applesauce. She seemed surprised to see Chilton arriving with Will.

“What is this? A ‘people who fucked my life’ club? I’m sorry if I’m not very pleased to see you Doctor Bloom, but given the circumstances you can understand where I’m coming from, right?” Frederick brushed pass her petting the dog that was sniffing him.

Will didn’t seem very pleased to see her either, and Chilton found that very interesting, so he refrained from going in and waited to see what was going on between the two.

“What are you doing here Alana? I thought I’d made myself clear after last night. I really don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“You can’t avoid me forever, Will! We need to talk!” She sounded desperate.

“No, we don’t. Not now and not anytime in the foreseeable future. We’re done, this part of my life is done, Alana. You chose a side and that’s it. I care for you, I will always care for you, but now that he is gone, there is no reason for us to keep in touch.” Will sounded calm, but Chilton could see the anger boiling inside. He knew that if she pressured him just a little bit more, he would burst. Well, this should be fun. He thought.

“So this part of your life is over then, right? If that’s so, what is he doing here?” she said pointing at Chilton. “You can’t talk to me but you can talk to him? After all he’s done to you??? He abused of his power over you in that hospital, Will!”

“So what?” That was it; Will had reached his breaking point with her. “Tell me, Alana! What if he did? At least he had an excuse! He wasn’t my friend, I never felt betrayed by him. I can’t say the same about you!” He was shouting now. “You left me there alone! And to top that you slept with Hannibal! I loved you, you know? I loved you! Do you think it matters now? Nothing you can say will change anything, because I’ll never be able to trust you again!” He let his head fall to his chest and sighed in defeat. “Please, just go away. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Alana had tears in her eyes. She went to fetch Applesauce, the dog had taken refuge behind Frederick’s legs during Will’s outburst. As she went to her car she stopped by Will’s side touching his arm. “I’m not giving up on you again, Will. I’ll be back soon.”

He jerked his arm away from her. “Please, don’t come by anymore.” She went to her car and drove away.

“Well, that was interesting.” Chilton instantly regretted his remark, because if looks could kill, Will Graham would have killed him right at that moment.

Will pushed him gently out of the way opening the door. “You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know?” When the door was fully open, the dogs came running outside, a lot more interested in the new comer than in their owner.

Chilton petted the dogs for a bit and went inside following Will. The house was tidier than the last time he had been here, not that he had paid much attention anyway. After all, he had been more preoccupied with other things at that time. It seemed so long ago.

“Your bedroom is upstairs, nothing fancy but it should do. I stopped by the market this morning before going to the hospital, so there’s food for you in the fridge. Enough to last for a few weeks, I think. I didn’t know exactly what you could or couldn’t eat so I think I might have gone a bit over the top.”

Frederick looked at the other man in disbelief. Had he really gone through all that trouble for him? He was touched, of course, and a bit of his anger toward the guy seemed to fade away.

“Thank you, mr. Graham” He looked at Will, feeling a bit out of place. 

The dogs had already lost interest in him and were scattered around the floor and a couple of them on the big sofa. Will went over and told them to get down. “Sit, Chilton. Make yourself at home.” Frederick went down like a bag of bricks and was instantly covered by the brown dog. That made Will chuckle.

“Could you teach your dogs some manners, Graham?”

“Sorry, it’s their place as much as it’s mine. Besides, you should feel honoured; Winston doesn’t warm up to people this quickly. It took months for him to let Alana touch him.” At the mention of her name his features turned heavy and Frederick noticed the change.

“Do you want talk about it?” When he saw Will looking at him with suspicion, he threw his hands up. “No mocking and no ulterior motive. Just offering an ear, mr. Graham.”

Will pondered for a second but decided against it. “Maybe some other time, thank you, doctor.” He opened the fridge. “Hungry? I can make us something to eat or we could just grab a beer and watch some tv. What do you think?” Will was trying to be as friendly as possible and Frederick didn’t know what to make of it.

“Beer is fine. A movie would be good too, or maybe a Game of Thrones marathon? I need to catch up, seeing as they didn’t have cable on that dump agent Crawford put me in.”

Will came back with two beers and handed one to Chilton.

“Game of Thrones it is.” He smiled and sat beside Frederick turning the tv on.


	3. Come to your senses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is going to be a slow burn... I just can't believe that they would jump right into it, you know?  
> Sorry, but this is a short one.

Will woke up 2 hours after he had downed his second beer to the sound of Winston whimpering. The dog was sitting in front of the sofa looking up. After he rubbed off the sleep from his eyes, he followed the animal’s gaze. He understood why the dog was distressed. Chilton was bundled up in the corner sleeping a restless sleep. He was whining and sweating and Will felt a twinge of sympathy for the man. He knew all too well what he was going through.

Cautiously Will approached and started to try to wake him. “Chilton. Chilton.” As he nudged him, Frederick only withdrew himself more. Will gently grabbed his head between his hands. “Frederick, wake up. Wake up. It’s just a dream. Wake up.” Chilton awoke with a jolt and looked startled at Will.

After a few seconds he was finally able to form words and noticed that Will was cradling his head. “What are you doing, mr Graham? Let go of me.” Will dropped his hands to his side. “Sorry, just trying to help. You were having a nightmare.”

“Second time today you felt the need to touch me. I can assure you, if I need your assistance, I’ll ask. Otherwise, please refrain your tactile needs.”

“Jesus! You’re an ass! No wonder you’re alone!” Will instantly regretted what he said when he saw the look of hurt that passed through Chilton’s face but decided not to back down. “Look, go sleep in your room and let’s forget this, ok?”

“Believe me, Graham, if I had any say in this I would gladly be alone in my house. You were the one who chose to bring me here, God knows why.” He went in the direction of the stairs stopping at its feet. He turned around to see Will sitting in the sofa with his head in his hands. “Tell me something. After all I did to you, after you turned me over to the FBI, after everything we’ve been through… Why am I here?”

Will lifted his head to look at the man he had brought into his home. “Because I owe you.” Chilton sneered. “So this is something to help you placate your sense of guilt? No need to do that, I free you from your supposed debt. Yeah, you owe me, that doesn’t mean you have to play nurse.”

Will had it with him. “Really? That’s how you’re going to be? Can’t you accept someone doing something nice for you?!? Yes, this is for my benefit, but it is to yours just as much!”

“Oh, and how do you reckon that?”

“Because you NEED me! I understand what you’ve been through. I’ve been there, remember? We are the only people who truly know what Hannibal is capable of. We need to get over this, and there’s no way we’re gonna be able to do it alone.”

Frederick calmly walked back to the sofa and sat down near to Will, this earned a eyebrow quirk from the other man. He stared into the distance. “We’re never going to be the same. What he’s done to us… There’s no way back from that, mr. Graham.”

“Will. Call me Will, Frederick.” He waited for a response and received a nod. “Look, I know things are not going back to what they were, but we have to try to reach some sense of normalcy, don’t we?”

“And you think playing nurse and bringing me to your place will help with that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? It’s been sometime since I had a roommate and I’m not sure if you’ve ever had one, but I know that being alone will only make things worse for the both of us. We need to talk, let things out, and I’m not willing to go to another psychiatrist anytime soon, are you?”

Frederick let out a small laugh. “No, I don’t think I am.”

They spent the next few minutes in silence and finally Chilton decided to get up and go to his new room. When he reached the door he noticed the brown dog had followed him. “Mr. Gra… Will!” he shouted from the top of the stairs. “Your dog is shadowing me. Can you call him back, please?”

Will poked his head out of the stair frame and looked up at the pair. “Sorry, Winston chose you, stick with him. If it makes you feel better, he’s an excellent judge of character. He was the only one that didn’t fall for Hannibal’s charm.”

Frederick looked down at the dog and gave a small smile. “So, you’re the smart one, right? Come on then, let’s get some sleep.”

That night Chilton finally had his first dreamless sleep in a long time. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that it might have been because he had Winston curled up at his feet and the strange sense of security that he felt being in Will Graham’s presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the chapters have a name connected to Raul Esparza. ;-)


	4. Someone is waiting

Next day Will was retrieved from his sleep by the smell of something cooking. He was scared for a moment, until he remembered that there was someone else staying at his house and relaxed. He got up, went to the bathroom and then decided to inspect what was going on in his kitchen. The sight of Frederick in black sweatpants and a black t-shirt, cooking breakfast with his earphones on and singing something in Spanish, greeted him. As he got closer he could finally make out what it was Chilton was singing.

Frederick turned around startled when he felt a presence near him. “What the hell, Will? Why are you standing so close?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just trying to make out what you were singing. Nice voice, by the way.”

Chilton blushed a little at the compliment. He knew he was good, he just wasn’t used to people complimenting on it or even listening to him sing at all. He hadn’t sung in front of another person since high school.

“Well, did you satisfy your curiosity?” Will smiled at that. “I didn’t peg you for a musical theatre fan, Frederick. Much too popular for your taste, isn’t it?”

“Cole Porter is a classic, much better than this new stuff from the last, I don’t know, 20 years. And how did you know what it was anyway? I certainly didn’t peg you for a musical theatre buff.”

Will went to sit down at the table. “I’m not.” He stated. “My father was an avid Cole Porter fan, that’s the only reason I know the song at all. No matter in which language you sing it, ‘Begin the beguine’ is amazing.”

Chilton nodded and went back to finish their breakfast. He stopped singing and turned the iPod off, concentrating on the task at hand and trying not to embarrass himself even more in front of his host. Besides, he didn’t want to give ammunition to Will. He still wasn’t willing to let his guard down with anyone.

“I’m making French toast. Hope you like it, because I’m not cooking anything else. There’s fresh coffee if you want. Speaking of which, if I’m going to stay here for a while, I need to get a Nespresso machine into your kitchen. That coffee of yours is just a bit above undrinkable.”

Will listened to everything quietly, not wanting to get in another fight so early in the day. He wandered how the man could complain about every single thing around him so soon after getting out of bed. “French toast is great, thanks. As for your coffee… Whatever you decide is fine by me. Want to get a machine? Great, go ahead, I’ll even try it out myself.”

They finished breakfast in silence and after that each man went to do their own thing. Will sat by his workshop table and set on doing new lures and Frederick went to the sofa to continue catching up with Game of Thrones.

A couple of days went by following the same routine. Breakfast together, daily chores and a glass of wine by the end of the day shared in silence. On the third day of Chilton complaining about the coffee they finally went out to buy the Nespresso machine he wanted.

They were at the shop discussing which one they would get when Will’s phone rang and he had to step out to answer it. The woman attending to them, a very bubbly blond, took this opportunity to chat a bit more with Frederick. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir… How long have you been together?”

“Together? Together with whom?” Chilton looked at the woman without understanding the question and then he followed her gaze to Will. “Good Lord! No! We’re not a couple.” The girl felt completely embarrassed by her assumption and started apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry, sir! I really didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive my indiscretion.”

“Calm down, calm down.” He gave her one of his charming smiles. “No harm done here.” She started to look more calm and composed. “I don’t take offense at all. Besides, if I were gay, I‘d like to think I could do better than that.” He said nodding his head in Will’s direction. The woman smiled shyly and replied. “I don’t know, sir. He is pretty cute and charming in a geeky kind of way.”

Will came back into the shop looking like he had seen a ghost, or at least spoken to one. “Frederick, have you decided?” Chilton eyed him carefully. “Not yet. Is something the matter? You look terrible.”

“No, nothing. Just pick one you like and let’s go, ok? I’ll wait for you in the car.” Will went to grab his wallet to give Frederick the money for the machine. “What are you doing, Will? Leave it. Consider this a ‘thank you’ gift.” Will just nodded, turned around and went away.

After paying for everything Chilton made his way back to the car. He placed the bags in the back, opened the passenger door and sat beside Will waiting for the man to start the car. When he didn’t, Frederick looked at him with concern in his eyes. “Out with it Graham, you’re starting to scare me.”

Will slowly loosened his grip on his trousers and took a deep breath, turning in the other man’s direction. When they locked their eyes he was first surprised by the genuine concern he saw there and then he started talking. “That was Jack on the phone earlier.”

“What happened? Say it’s nothing bad, please. Tell me Hannibal didn’t scape or something like that!” He sounded panicked, but he didn’t care. Even the thought of dr. Lecter being on the loose again was enough to make him want to disappear to the other side of the world, and even then he wasn’t sure he would be safe.

Seeing how frightened the other man was, Will reached out and grabbed Chilton’s arm trying to soothe him. “Calm down, Frederick, it’s nothing like that.” He said reassuringly. “But you’re not going to like it.”

“Madre de Dios! Speak!”

“It was about Hannibal, that much you got right. Well, the thing is… He wants to see us. Both of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to put Chilton singing something, hand't I?!?  
> Anyway, I hope you're all still enjoying this little thing.
> 
> I know where I want this to go (don't we all?), I just don't know how I'll get there yet.  
> But trust me, I'll get there eventually.
> 
> Oh, and here's the link to Raul's perfect performance of this Cole Porter classic.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBBKtnYiPzc
> 
> Oh, I love bway's new stuff, ok? As does Raul, I think, but I don't think Frederick would appreciate it very much.


	5. Why

Will let the information sink in for a moment before trying to talk to the man beside him again. “Are you alright?” Chilton couldn’t tear his gaze from Will’s no matter how hard he tried, and for a moment he thought he had lost the ability to speak. When he finally found the words they came out almost screaming.

“What???? Is he insane??? Wait, wait, strike that. He is insane. He is currently enjoying part of his future permanent stay at my hospital.” He laughed to himself and even to his own ears he sounded deranged. He turned to Will looking completely defeated. “What does he want, Will? Hasn’t he taken enough?” His voice fell to a whisper as he closed his eyes. “Hasn’t he taken everything?”

This was the first time Will saw how deeply wounded Chilton really was. This was the first time Chilton let it show to anyone what Hannibal Lecter had done to him, to his self-esteem, to his existence. Will’s hand hadn’t left Frederick’s arm during his freak out and he was happy for it. He felt as if the other man’s hand was the only thing keeping him above water and if he let go he would drown on his endless ocean of pain and die.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Frederick.” He squeezed his arm. “If it’s too much, I’ll leave you at home and go by myself.”

“He wants to do this now? Who does he think he is? Even after he got caught he thinks every one is at his disposal. Fantastic!” Chilton took a several deep breaths and finally managed to get a hold of himself. “Ok, if he wants to do this, let’s do it. I’m not letting you go alone and I sure as hell ain’t going alone later if you go by yourself now.” The ride to the hospital was a quiet one and if Will’s hand only left Chilton’s arm to change gears, neither said anything about it, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Will. It was the first time he touched him and he hadn’t retreated or made a snarky remark about it.

 

When they got there Jack Crawford was waiting for them at the door. He looked fidgety and irritated. Frederick was bitterly happy to see him like that, he thought it served him right for taking so long to see what was right in front of him, even if it had almost cost him his life, the doctor didn’t feel any sympathy for the agent.

“Hi, Jack.” Will spoke first. “Any idea of what he wants with us?” Jack was fidgeting again and Will had the distinct impression he wasn’t going to like what Jack had to say. 

“Will. Dr. Chilton.” Jack nodded in Frederick’s direction and received a curt nod in return. “Well, don’t ask me how, I had nothing to do with it, but Hannibal got wind that dr. Chilton was staying at your place, Will.”

Will let his head fall to his chest knowing fully well what Hannibal wanted with them now. “Frederick.” He turned to the other man. “You don’t have to be here for this. Hannibal wants to speak with me, not you. He just wants to use you as a weapon now.” He turned to Jack. “Jack, please make him company while I go in.”

Chilton looked at the two of the as if they had grown another head, which wouldn’t be surprising after all he had seen in the last year. “Do I look like an invalid puppy, mr. Graham? I’m already here, there’s no way I’m not going on now.” He suddenly felt braver than he was and just wanted this to be over with. Will looked at him then at Jack, who was staring at them not knowing what to say. “Jack, can you give us a minute, please? I need to talk to Frederick.” With that the agent retreated to his car to wait there, he didn’t want more contact than was necessary with that hospital.

“Frederick, please reconsider this. I didn’t know what Hannibal wanted with you before. Don’t take this the wrong way, but in his mind you were never important, nothing more than a patsy. Him wanting to see you now made no sense, at least not until Jack explained that he knows you are living with me.” Chilton felt a bit offended by that, but he knew it was true. What he didn’t understand was why it mattered that he now shared a temporary roof with Will. “Then tell me, Graham. Why does he want me there with you?”

Will took a deep breath and decided to come clean for the first time with someone other than Hannibal. Will looked directly into Chilton’s eyes and held his gaze with a determination Frederick had never seen in the man. “My relationship with Hannibal went beyond the conventional friendship, we were deeply entwined, to the point where I didn’t know where my mind ended and his began, Frederick.”

“That’s nothing I didn’t know, Will.” Chilton said looking at him intrigued.

“Let me finish, please. I want you to understand this if you’re going in there with me. Somewhere along the way the lines blurred. Friend and enemy, doctor and patient, hunter and prey… I didn’t know which one I was anymore and I was alone, Frederick. Completely alone and he was the only one there. The only one who understood and finally the last line was blurred. We became… Involved. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Will looked at him expectantly.

Chilton felt like the air had been punched out of him. If he understood what Will was saying… “You became his lover?” He said barely above a whisper. “You fell in love with Lecter?”

“No! I mean, not like that. We were, as you put it, lovers and yes, there was a mutual feeling there, but it wasn’t love. It was a kind of co-dependency, a yearning for a real connection. At least on my part, it was the need to feel something of my own, beyond my empathy, you know? For him it was control, possessiveness. Although I do think that somewhere in his twisted mind he genuinely cares about me.” Will shuts up waiting to see Frederick’s reaction.

Chilton didn’t know what to say. He felt he should have seen that coming. No one could become as close as the two men were without giving anything and everything of themselves up. He suddenly realized that he didn’t like the thought of Hannibal and Will together at all. It felt dirty somehow, but he decided not dwell on the feeling for too long.

“So, what do you think he’ll say? Something to try to make me feel uncomfortable in your presence? Something to make me want to get away from you?”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know what he’s going to say but, whatever it is, it’s something that will affect our dynamics. No matter how ready we think we are, he will get inside our heads and it would be foolish to think otherwise.”

“It’s ok. I’m not saying he won’t get to me, but I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be. Let’s go inside and finish this. I’m really hungry and in need of a drink right now, a feeling I feel it’s going to intensify after we talk to him.” Frederick said attempting to sound dismissive and Will reached for his arm again giving it a little squeeze. They went inside quietly, trying to prepare themselves for what was waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terrified about writing Hannibal!!! I don't want to make him crappy and I just feel like I won't live up to the challenge.


	6. I don't believe in heroes anymore

As they walked inside Hannibal accompanied them with his eyes and a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth until they finally stopped in front of his cage. Will seemed the same to him, but Chilton’s posture caught his attention. The man was as stiff as ever with his head held high showing his scarred cheek to anyone who cared to look at it. Hannibal looked into his eyes and broadened his smile when he confirmed his suspicions of what was really going on in his mind. Frederick Chilton was afraid of him.

“My dear Achilles, I’m glad you came.” He said looking at Will, earning him a wince from the man in question and a curious look from the other one. “I thought I was the one meant to be Patroclus, Hannibal.” Will shot regaining his composure.

“It seems the roles have been reversed, wouldn’t you say?” He turned to Chilton, finally acknowledging him. “And who would that make you, Frederick? Because Achilles died soon after Patroclus, he never took anyone else in and now I see my hero has betrayed me and left me for dead in the battlefield.” 

“What do you want with me Lecter?” Frederick finally uttered trying to show confidence, knowing he was probably failing miserably. “I thought I served my purpose. Wasn’t I your scapegoat and nothing else? So tell me why I’m here.”

“You’re here because I’m interested now, Frederick.” Hannibal smiled ferociously, something animalistic in his features. “You became interesting the moment my little birds told me Will had taken another stray into his home.”

“He’s not a dog, Hannibal.” Will said trying to get the focus back to him.

“Ah, and that, my dearest Will, is why I’m so interested.” Lecter didn’t look at Will. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting into, Frederick? Do you really know what Will’s capable of?”

“I know enough to say he’s not you, dr. Lecter. He’s not a monster.”

“He’s not? You seem so sure of yourself. Did he tell you how he killed for me? Did he tell you that he ate at my table fully aware of what was being served? That he liked it?” Hannibal took pleasure in seeing how Frederick’s colour was slowly draining from his face. “Did he tell you what he let me do to his virgin body?” He hissed.

“That’s enough!” Will’s anger was simmering; Chilton could feel the heat emanating from his body. “Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this, with us. It’s me that you want, isn’t it? I’m here, take what you want from me, even though I’m not sure I’ve much left to give. Just leave him alone.”

“Always the care taker, aren’t you Will? Tell me, what do you find so interesting about my dear colleague?” He said finally turning his gaze in Will’s direction.

“I’ve learned, the hard way, that a person doesn’t need to be interesting like you to be a good friend.”

“Frederick is a good friend now, is he?” Will could see that he was getting under Hannibal’s skin and decided to push a little further, so he put a hand on Chilton’s shoulder. “Maybe not yet, but he has the potential to become one.” He had been so lost in their game that he didn’t notice the look of hurt and anger that passed through Frederick’s face.

Chilton flinched away from the touch. “I am NOT a pawn in your little games. This thing.” He pointed at the two men. “Whatever it is, is not part of me or my life and I don’t want to be dragged in now.”

Hannibal smiled. “I think you’ve hurt your new stray, my dear.” Chilton just looked at them, turned around and left.

Will felt an enormous sense of guilt washing over him. He had used Frederick just like Hannibal had used both of them. “I hate you, Hannibal. I hate what you’ve make me become, I hate what you did to me.” He glared coldly at the man in front of him. “Don’t ever send for me again, I won’t give you the pleasure anymore. What was between us is over, do you understand? Over.”

“Do you really believe that? You think you’ll ever be able to get away from me, from this? You know better than that, mr. Graham.” He said smiling. “You have to understand something, Will. You are mine. I’ve made you mine forever, body and soul.”

“What you don’t seem to understand, doctor.” Will was trembling now. “Is that I was never really yours. I have you to thank for that, you made me realize that I was my own man, independent of my empathy towards others. You have helped me grow into myself.”

If this statement bothered Hannibal, he didn’t show, but Will knew he had struck a nerve and dented some of his confidence. “Goodbye, Hannibal.” Lecter took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at him. “Goodbye, my erastes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it too bad? I know it was bad and OOC, but how bad was it?!?  
> ARGH! I don't know what I'm doing!
> 
> Anyway, do you guys prefer longer chapters with more distance in between them or should I stick with shorter ones?


	7. I don't care much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is even shorter than the other chapters, because I'm still not over the finale and I can't cope right now.  
> I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting!  
> Hope you enjoy it. ;-)

As Will exited the hospital he bumped into Alana Bloom. Deciding to ignore her he kept walking straight ahead, until he was stopped by the woman’s hand on his arm. “Not a good time, Alana. What do you want?” He said not looking her in the eyes, barely acknowledging her presence. “What happened in there, Will? When I arrived Chilton was almost running away and asking Jack to take him to your house to gather his things. What did Hannibal do?”

“Shit…” He murmured under his breath. “It’s none of your concern, doctor Bloom.” His voice was cold and devoid of any emotion looking pointedly at her hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

Will walked into his car and started heading home as fast as he could. He was pissed at Hannibal, yes, but he was even more pissed at himself for using Frederick like that. “What a great friend you are, you idiot.” He said to the air. Will arrived at his place to find it empty, only his dogs and an empty guest room waiting for him, so he decided to call Jack.

“What the fuck happened, Will?” Jack sounded stressed on the phone. “I’m standing outside Chilton’s house and the guy is frozen outside his door. You better get here quickly, because I am not dealing with a freaked out psychiatrist. I’m done with this whole professional category for a long time.” Will sighed into the receiver. “Just keep him there, Jack. Don’t let him do anything stupid, please. And don’t let him into the house, he is not ready!”

“Oh, and you think he’ll obey me?!?” The agent laughed humourlessly. “Anyway, I don’t think there’s any risk of him doing that. He’s been standing by the door for about 10 minutes. He hasn’t moved a muscle.”

“Good, that’s good. At least try to keep him that way.” Will grabbed the keys to Frederick’s car and went to the other man’s home. It took him almost an hour to get there and when he arrived Frederick was still outside, sitting at the stairs that led to his door, staring into the distance and Jack was leaning against his car waiting for him. 

“He sat down about half an hour ago and hasn’t moved since.” Jack looked at him. “I don’t know what went on in that hospital, but whatever it was, I think it might have broken him further, Will.”

“And you’re concerned now, Jack?” Will almost barked at him. “You weren’t concerned when you put him away. When you were processing him and he asked for me and you didn’t call, forcing him to speak to Alana instead. I told you he wasn’t the Ripper, you knew it! Still you put Miriam Lass there to do that to him. You just wanted to catch someone and didn’t care who it was. I take the blame for my part. I should never have called you when he turned up at my doorstep. Now you should accept yours and just leave the man alone. Both of us for that matter. We have nothing else to offer, Jack.” He sounded defeated.

“Don’t think I don’t, Will. I think about it everyday! I almost handed my resignation last week, but you know what? I suffered too. I wasn’t there when Bella needed me the most because I was involved in all of this, because I was stabbed in the neck! So don’t wrap the martyr flag around you and Chilton. We all lost things along the way and have to deal with it. We all have our scars to show for it.” He said looking pointedly at Will’s stomach. Will scoffed at that. “Yeah Jack, we all lost something. Some more than others… Could you please leave? I’ll deal with Frederick.”

Jack Crawford left and Will went to sit down next to Chilton. “May I?” Frederick didn’t acknowledge him, so he sat keeping a certain distance between them. “Are you alright?” Chilton looked at him with incredulity written all over his face. “Am I alright? What kind of question is that, Graham? Yes, yes, I’m peachy! I’ve just spent the last hour and a half sitting by my door because I love the chilly air outside. It has nothing to do with the vivid images of disembowelled people in my kitchen and the voice of Hannibal Lecter in my head saying I have to run. It has nothing to do with the fact that, when I finally felt a sense of security, my new supposed friend used me as pawn for his little game with his cannibal lover.” His voice seemed detached. “So, answering sincerely to your question… Yes, I’ve never been better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to incorporate the canon into this, so the timeline will get a bit confused, but I'll try not to make a complete mess out of it.


	8. Chapter 8

Will winced at his response, knowing he deserved and at a loss at how to make it up to him. “Look, I know I behaved like a jackass and there’s no excuse for it, but…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t let people get close to me, I never have. Hannibal was the only true friend I had all my life and look how that turned out. Sure, I was close to Jack and Alana, but it never was a true friendship, I never let them in and they never cared to invite me in. What I’m trying to say is… The only real relationship I’ve ever had in my life has been a manipulative one, so I really need you to bear with me on this whole friendship thing, you know?”

Frederick didn’t look at him, he didn’t need to, he knew he was telling the truth. Even if Will had shared almost nothing with him during his stay at the psychiatric hospital, he had shared enough for him to know the man wasn’t skilled in human interaction and what little he had developed, it had been in the hands and mind of a killer. Frederick finally looked up and met Will’s eyes, they were looking at him expectantly, full of hope. He needed to get past his hurt and help him, he had to grab the chance of helping himself along the way too, so he took Will’s hand in his startling the other man.

He could see Will wanted to pull back but was also curious to where this was going. He looked straight ahead and began to speak. “We’re all fucked up, Will. Jack lost his wife while he was in the hospital, Alana slept with her killer mentor and was pushed out of the window by a girl she liked, I got gutted and shot in the face and you… Well, you lost a daughter, a friend and a lover all at once.” Will tried to make light of the situation. “Don’t forget I was gutted too.” And saw he failed miserably and he felt Frederick’s eyes staring at him, without a trace of smile on his face.

“Don’t do this, Will. Don’t try to deflect with humour. I know you’re not ready to face everything that’s happened, I don’t know if you ever will be, but trying to make light of it won’t help. I know, I’ve tried it countless times.” Will let go of his hand and got up trying to ignore the turmoil he felt inside of him. “Come on Frederick, let’s get you away from here. You and I don’t need reminders right now. You know what we need? Alcohol, the best medicine there is.”

Chilton looked up at him getting up stiffly. “Do you think that’s wise in our condition? You’re still taking pills for that belly wound of yours and I don’t think I should, anyway.” Will smiled at him. “I have a bottle of rare vintage whisky at home waiting for us. Some wine too, but the whisky is very special. Courtesy of Hannibal. I don’t think there are two people more entitled to that bottle than us.” Frederick looked at him and decided to concede.

The ride was quiet, until the moment Will decided to turn on the radio and it started to play Radio Ga Ga on the mp3 selection. “You really are full of surprises, hum? First musicals and now Queen? I’m starting to think I’ve seriously misjudged you.” Will smiled at Frederick and the man huffed. “What do you take me for? I’m not that much of a pompous ass. I’m not Hannibal, Will.” Will’s smile dropped and he looked straight ahead, focusing on the road, and whispered thoughtfully, a crease appearing in his brow. “No, you’re really not.” Frederick didn’t know what to make of this comment.

When they arrived home Chilton dropped on the sofa waiting for Will to come back with the alcohol. When he entered the room again, bottle in hand, Frederick’s eyes nearly jumped from its orbit. “Lecter gave you that?!? You must be the most wonderful fuck in the universe!” Will took a sharp intake of breath and his face twisted like he had been punched in the gut. “I’m sorry, Will, that was tactless of me but… Do you even know what you have in your hands?”

Will let the tension flow out of him, looked at the bottle and then at Chilton with a tentative smile. “A pretty bottle of old expensive whisky?” Frederick gave a small laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.” He extended his hand and Will handed him the bottle. “This is a 50 year old, single malt, Highland Park.” His eyes were shinning. “That old, huh?” He sat beside Frederick handing him a glass. “Will, this bottle costs around 18 grand!” This time it was Will’s turn to look shocked. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Kidding you? I have a mind to not just whack you in the head, run away and put this baby for auction.” Will saw that Chilton’s face was relaxed, with a child like gleam in his eyes making him appear years younger. He noticed for the first time how green his eyes were and how pretty the man actually was. He felt himself turning pink at that thought, he didn’t need to go down that path now or ever again, especially with Frederick Chilton. “You’re staring at my scar, Graham. That’s very rude.” He said giving Will a scolding glare.  
“No! No, I wasn’t! It’s just… Well, you looked happy for a moment there, and I think I kinda forgotten what happy looks like.”

Frederick blushed a little and smiled. “Well, if you had any idea of what you’re about to taste, you’d be happy too. Anyway, let’s open this up and rejoice ourselves. God knows we more than deserve it.” Chilton opened the bottle and poured the wooden liquid for them. He brought his glass up to his nose and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting the sensation fill him.

They drank in silence for a long time, just enjoying the taste and the buzz the drink was giving them. After their forth glass Frederick finally decided to say something. “So, Will. What do intend to do with your life from now on? Going back to teaching? Always thought you were more suited in a classroom than in the field.”

Will was spread across the sofa, one leg in the back and the other one hanging to the side, his head resting on the armrest with his eyes closed. He opened one eye at a time and looked at Chilton. The other man was in the corner of the sofa, legs stretched in front of him. “Is this your way of saying I’m not suited for the field? Well, yeah, you’d be right. I don’t want to go out there ever again. I don’t think that will be an option though, Jack always thinks he needs me and I always comply in the end.” His words were slurred and he felt spent.

“You’re drunk.” Frederick spouted out. “Really, captain obvious? Well, so are you.” Chilton rested his head on the back of the sofa. “Yeah, what does that say about us? A frightened psychiatrist who can’t enter his own home and a FBI profiler who can’t say no to his friends getting drunk together… You could always say no to agent Crawford, you know? Being out there is not good for you. It… concerns me.”

Will didn’t seem able to lift his head anymore, sleep coming over him. “You sound like him, you know? Hannibal was always concerned about me being out there, letting all those killers into my mind. Of course, it was probably jealousy. He wanted to be the only one waltzing around in here.” Frederick was also feeling the weight of sleep. “Hum… Probably. Just remember something, please. I’m not him.”

Will yawned. “So you keep saying. We should go to bed.” He didn’t move and neither did Frederick. “Yeah, we should.” Both fell asleep as they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still getting over the finale... I hope to pick up the pace again this weekend. :-)  
> Hope you liked it!  
> They're going to wake up in an embarrassing position, won't they? ;-)


	9. Can't take my eyes off of you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this delay!!!!!!!!! My muse ran away and wouldn't come back at all! I tried to make Frederick and Will talk to me but they refused to!
> 
> I promise I will never take this long to update again, ok???  
> There's some small amount of smut as a gift and an apology. :-D

Next morning Frederick woke up feeling something poking at his scarred cheek and it felt really uncomfortable. He opened his eyes slowly taking in his surroundings. His heard hurt like hell from all the liquor he had drank, he saw the tv in front of him and rose his hand to help him get up. He realized he was touching something firmer than the sofa and frowned. That was when he stopped and really paid attention to what he was doing.

Chiltons hand was resting on Will’s thigh and he suddenly realized what it was that was poking at his cheek… He was resting his head on Will’s crotch and the other man’s penis was half hard against his face. Frederick emitted a high pitched yelp and jumped up, backing off the sofa and crashing on the small table behind him, bringing everything down with loud crashes.

Will woke up startled looking around and then his head began to hurt. He knew he shouldn’t have drunk so much last night but he actually didn’t care, they both had needed it. He looked around and was greeted by a rather strange sight. Frederick was laying on his back, on the floor, side table down with him and the lamp that was on it broken, along with the glass and empty bottle from yesterday.  
“What the hell, Frederick?” Will rubbed the sleep off his eyes and looked around trying to find some kind of threat. When he looked back at Chilton he followed the doctor’s wide eyed gaze and finally became aware of what had startled the other man. “Shit!” he said desperately clutching the nearest pillow and shoving it on his crotch. “Shit, shit, shit! I’m sorry! Argh! Sorry!” Will took a few calming breaths and looked at Chilton again. “Look, I’m sorry, but I didn’t have any control over this, ok? I was sleeping. Things like this happen to everyone in their sleep, ok?”

Frederick looked up to Will’s face, a lot calmer than he was a few moments ago. “I know, I know. I was startled, that’s all.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “It’s not as if this doesn’t happen to me. I just never woke up with a dick poking me in the face.” He got up and started walking to the kitchen. “Anyway. Breakfast? I think it will help us with the hangover if we put some food into our stomachs. I know mine is pretty mad at me right now.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll just go upstairs to take a quick shower.” Will was already walking up the stairs and had to shout a bit. “See what you can combine with all that stuff I bought, ok? I don't even know if I bought real breakfast food with all that vegan stuff.” He heard a muffled “ok” from Frederick as he entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him and turning the water on.

  
Will threw the water on hot and stepped in, letting it run down his back and trying to get his body under control, but it didn’t seem to be working. Unable to wait longer he wrapped a hand around himself in a tight grip, stroking slowly up the length before twisting his palm over the head.

  
He let out a staggered breath, hips bucking into his own hand as he repeats the process. The water was scalding over his skin but he couldn't care less as his short nails catch on the tiles in front of him. He pumped himself with a bit more intent, forehead pressed against the wall opposite the showerhead. His low moans echoing in the confined space.

  
“Fuck…” He called out softly as he gave a particularly good thrust. He’s close already, having been so worked up by some dream he couldn't remember. He picked up his pace, craving release. “Oh...God...FUCK!” Will called as he came heavily over his hand, fully expecting the image of a naked Hannibal to appear behind his closed eyelids, like so many other times. He is completely shocked when he sees Frederick’s face instead and opens his eyes quickly.

  
Will finishes the shower quickly trying not to think about what just happened. It’s only when he’s standing in front of the mirror that realization dawns on him. He rubs his face with both hands and looks at himself, whispering. “Will Graham, you are one fucked up individual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Is Will fucked up or not?  
> I mean, I know it's too soon after Hannibal, but a man can't control his feelings, right?
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Oh, and I've never left my tumblr here, right?  
> Follow me, if you feel like it. :-)  
> http://yas-snape.tumblr.com


	10. Step into the light

When Will came back down, after throwing on a black pair of slacks and a black t-shirt, the side table was back in place and all the shattered glass was gone. The smell of eggs and bacon coming from the kitchen was heavenly and his stomach gave a big growl. He entered the room to see Frederick singing and cooking and smiled to himself. “Are you even able to cook without singing, Frederick?” The amusement in his voice was clear as day.

 

Chilton looked over his shoulder giving a half hearted ‘humph’ in Will’s direction. He had cleared the living room and began making breakfast as he waited for the empath to come down. “I owe you a lamp. Seems we’ll have to go shopping again… Anyway, I’m making some bacon and eggs for us. I know I have to watch my protein intake, but after last night my body is screaming for some sustenance. Do you want anything else?”

 

Will had already sat down at the table and was enjoying the view of Frederick’s back and well-toned ass. _Who knew underneath all that pompous clothes lay such a treasure._ He shook his head concentrating on what Chilton was saying. _Get a hold of yourself, Graham. Don’t go down that path again. Besides, for all you know, Chilton is as straight as they come._ He came out of his musings to answer the question posed to him. “No, no, eggs and bacon will do just fine, thanks. By the way, you own me nothing. The lamp was nothing special… Hannibal gave it to me because he thought my place needed a bit of his touch and I just left it there. It seems you came to erase all traces of him from this house, huh? First the whisky and now the lamp. I wonder what it’ll be next.” He chuckled more to himself than anything.

 

“Well, I’m not doing it on purpose.” Frederick said laying the food in front of them and sitting down on the seat opposite to Will. “But if there’s anything else from Hannibal that needs smashing, I’ll be more than happy to become the Hulk of this house.” He joked and Will burst out into laughter.

 

“I’m sorry, Frederick, bit I just visualized you in Banner’s clothes changing into The Hulk and it was too much.” Will wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. “Man, you never cease to amaze me. Let’s see… Musicals, rock n’ roll and now comics? How were you able to hide all that with that prim and proper façade?”

 

Chilton blushed a bright shade of red. “It’s not something I flaunt around. People in the academic world frown at pop culture and I don’t need more mockery added to my name. I’m pretty disgraced as it is. Besides, musicals and comics were things that didn’t make me very popular in school, so I learned to hide those habits from an early age.” His gaze drifted to some distant place.

 

Will was preparing to say something when his phone began to ring in his pocket. He looked at the display and as soon as he saw Jack’s name he grimaced. “What the hell does he want? Wasn’t yesterday hellish enough?” He said out loud.

 

Frederick was brought back from his reverie by the ring. “Agent Crawford, huh? Well, it’s better for you to pick up, maybe it’s good news this time. Hannibal might have killed himself during the night.” As soon as he saw the look on Will’s face at his remark, he regretted it. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

 

“It’s ok, Frederick. That would be good news indeed, wouldn’t it? The problem is that Hannibal loves himself too much for that.” Will managed to smile at the man across from him and answered the phone. “Hi, Jack. If this is about Hannibal, I’m hanging up.” He stayed on the phone for a few more minutes just giving yes and no answers and humming. When he finally hung up, he let out a sigh. “Well, it’s not Hannibal. The FBI wants to give Jack and I some sort of commendation and hold a press conference saying they were helping us all along and knew what had to be done to catch Hannibal.”

 

“What? After what that Purnell woman did to the both of you? Honestly, has everyone gone crazy? You’re not accepting this, are you?” Frederick looked more outraged than Will felt.

 

“I don’t think I have a choice. Jack said that if we refuse they’re going to press charges for Tier’s murder.”

 

Frederick felt himself getting red in the face, both from the outrage he felt towards the FBI and by the lack of response form Will. “This is complete and utter bullshit! If it weren’t for them and their lack of action Crawford would have been home with his wife when she passed and you wouldn’t have that scar on your stomach!”

 

“Calm down, Frederick. I’m not even all that bothered really, so why are you?”

“Because I can hear you, Will.” Chilton lowered his gaze avoiding eye contact with Will. “Every night I spent here I could hear you during your sleep. I know what Hannibal has left in you and they just won’t let you close that chapter of your life, none of them. I know I got shot in the face because of him, but what he did to you was… Monstrous.”

 

Will sighed and reached out to grab Frederick’s hand and squeeze it. The older man looked up startled but didn’t take his hand away. “I’m sorry you had to hear me, I didn’t want to add to your demons.” Chilton opened his mouth to interrupt but Will didn’t let him, continuing his speech. “Look, what Hannibal did to me will always be inside of me, there’s no closing that door. Sure, I can change the chapter, but it will always be a part of me, for better or worse. The FBI is covering its ass, you would do the same in their position, don’t even try to deny it. Besides, having you here is helping me. I don’t know why and I can’t explain it, but your presence is somehow soothing. Believe me, my nightmares used to be much worse than just screaming, tossing and turning. I hope I can someday repay you for that.” Will let go of Chilton’s hand and smiled. “So, let’s just do the bureau this favour and close the chapter for good, ok? Can you help me close it and move on?”

 

Frederick felt his mouth go dry, he didn’t expect this much honesty from Will. If he was being honest, the younger man also had a soothing and calming effect on him, so if this was what was required of them to move on, he would be more than glad to do it.

 

“Ok, Will. Let’s close this chapter and never re-read it.” Frederick smiled, grabbed the empty plates in front of them and headed for the sink. Things finally seemed to be looking up for them.

**Author's Note:**

> I had no beta, it's just something that came to me and I decided to write it down. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.


End file.
